What would daddy say?
by LittleMonkeyDog
Summary: Although he never thought he could truly love another woman again, Face ends up falling for Maggie Sullivan's new assistant. But there's something special about his love interest that could make things a lot more complicated for the entire team ...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This is my very first attempt at writing The A-Team fanfiction … I have been a huge fan of the series and have been watching re-runs of the series lately. The story is situated somewhat in season 5 when the team gets involved with Stockwell (alternate version). I do hope you'll like the story.

 **I don't owe any of the characters to the show and this story is merely fictional.**

 **Chapter 1**

Dr. Maggie Sullivan was having a nice cup of coffee with her new assistant when her phone suddenly rang. It could be anything when the phone rang: a patient who had a question, an emergency or … It could be the phone call she had been anticipating all week long. Hannibal and his team had been on a new mission to South America and they should be returning home by now. Maggie always was a little worried about them ever since she had to patch up B.A. some time ago. That's how she had met the team and Hannibal in the first place and she had fallen head over heels for the blue eyed colonel.

The two of them had started a relationship afterwards and Hannibal had promised to come by every now and then or give her a call to reassure her after a new mission. They had to be really careful too, so the military police wouldn't have a clue about their relationship. After all, Hannibal and his team were still wanted criminals. Maggie however never believed that they had been capable of committing such a crime and she truly believed that they were being framed by the military. She had earned their trust and so the team saw her as their personal physician whenever they needed one.

Maggie desperately hoped nothing would have gone wrong this time or at least not something too bad. Surely there would be some patching up to do: fix a broken nose, tend to wounds, treat bruises or bruised and sometimes cracked ribs or the occasional black eye, but she hated for one of them to get seriously injured. She all but ran to pick up her phone. If it was the team, she knew they had to be careful as they had no idea whether or not the military were on to them. So they usually pretended to be someone else, until Maggie was able to secure her line and inform them.

"Hi, Mags, it's me," she heard the colonel's voice. "Can you talk?"

"Yes, John," she said relief washing over her. She was so glad to be able to hear his voice. "I'm so glad to hear your voice again. Everything okay?"

"Yes, we're alright," he reassured her. "We are on our way over now."

"Anybody got hurt besides the bad guys?" She asked.

"Just Face," Hannibal answered her smiling. "He has been whining about his bruises as usual."

Maggie couldn't help but smile. The young lieutenant always seemed to get hurt. Mostly he suffered from minor injuries, but he would always complain about them to his team mates and drive them crazy. Maggie knew he just loved the attention he got.

"What is it now?" Maggie jokingly said.

"Let's just say he forgot to duck every now and then to avoid being used as a punching ball," Hannibal replied. She heard the others chuckle on the background.

"It's not funny." She heard Face grumble.

They talked for a little while longer and Hannibal told her they would be at her place within half an hour. Maggie smiled happily and decided to inform her new assistant, Dr. Zowie Stockwell. Zowie had only recently started working at Maggie's. She was a very dedicated doctor and a sweet and caring young lady. She was eager to learn from Maggie and turned out to be a very independent young girl. She had told Maggie about her father who was a retired general of the US Army and a CIA member who was overprotective of his only daughter. He always wanted to keep an eye on her, but she craved her independence. She had started med school and went off to college to be away from her father's overprotectiveness. Now that she was about to graduate and needed and internship, she desperately wanted it to be as far away from L.A. as possible and ended up in the small town of Bad Rock. Maggie was pretty fond of her assistant and believed she could be trusted. She had discussed this with Hannibal previously and ended up telling Zowie that the A-Team regularly came by for check-ups. She told her assistant about the guys and what they were accused of doing. Zowie had read about them in the paper already and she knew from her father's stories that the military where after them. Maggie had told her that the team was accused of robbing the Bank of Hanoi and that she was almost positive that it had been some sort of set up. Ever since that moment Zowie had been dying to meet them, but she knew her father would never approve of her knowing the A-Team or hanging out with them for that matter. So she had lied to him! She said she took an internship overseas in Europe and left for Bad Rock knowing fully well that she would actually get to meet the team. She had begged Maggie not to inform the guys that her father had been in the military as to not scare them away. Now with the team being on its way over, Zowie was starting to get nervous.

"Hannibal said they're okay. Face got punched and seems to be complaining about his injuries, so we'll have to patch him up," Maggie said smiling.

"Oh no," Zowie answered her starting to get worried. "Is it bad?"

"Let me let you in on a little secret about Templeton Peck," Maggie started to explain. "As long as he whines or complains, it's usually nothing bad. You see! Lieutenant Peck likes the attention, especially from the ladies. He craves some attention every now and then. I guess he must have had a lack of attention while growing up as an orphan. When he says he's doing fine, that's when you need to start getting worried. He hates being sick and vulnerable and he tends to hide things and flat out lie about his condition when he's really seriously hurt. But right now he has been complaining a lot to his team mates."

Zowie chuckled. Maggie had showed her a few pictures of the team members, so she actually knew what to expect. "I don't think he needs to do much to get attention from the female population. I mean with his long blond hair, beautiful blue eyes and that cute smile of his. I bet girls are swooning over him all the time. He is so handsome!"

"You're swooning already and you haven't even met him yet," Maggie chuckled. "I think you should treat him."

"What?" Zowie asked shocked. "Me? Why?"

"Well, you're a doctor, aren't you?" Maggie teased. "You need the practice and this will give you some alone time with Lieutenant Peck." She smiled mischievously.

Zowie blushed fiercely.

Meanwhile, the infamous A-Team van had arrived and the team members jumped out of the car with the exception of Face. He was doing his very best to act as if he was seriously hurt. Maggie and Zowie both ran up to the van to meet them. Maggie immediately went over to Hannibal and he took her in his strong arms and they shared a sweet kiss.

"Looks like somebody's mist me," he said smiling.

Zowie kept her distance and watched Maggie interact with Hannibal, Murdoch and B.A.

"Lieutenant, care to join us today?" Hannibal yelled towards Face who was still sitting in the van.

"I can't do it by myself, Colonel," Face answered him trying to look convincingly ill enough. "It hurts way too much to move."

Hannibal shook his head and rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but smile. He so knew when Face was trying to con them, but he decided to play along to tease him.

"That bad, son?" He asked his second-in-command while walking up to the van.

Murdock and B.A. immediately knew Hannibal would play along now.

"Oh yeah. It's real bad. I can't explain. It hurts to breath. I mean I feel like my body is almost on fire from those punches. And somehow I think I'm gonna be sick …" Face started to babble.

"Not in my van you're not," B.A. grumbled. He made his way over to the van to roughly pull Face out of his seat and on to his feet.

He was still trying to look miserable as he was leaning heavily against the van.

"Maybe you can help him inside and get him settled on the table in my office," Maggie suggested. "That'll make it easier for Zowie to see what's wrong with him."

All eyes were on the young woman now.

"Dr. Zowie Stockwell is my new intern and a wonderful young doctor," Maggie started to introduce her. "Anyway, she needs all the experience she can get."

Face looked up at the beautiful young woman that had just been introduced and couldn't help but smile. He so wouldn't mind to be treated by her. Zowie blushed. Hannibal didn't miss Face's reaction. He looked at Maggie and she winked playfully at him.

"Sure," Hannibal answered her. "I don't think Face would mind, right kid?" He had to try to stop himself from bursting out laughing as it was. He could see right through his Lieutenant. "Hi Zowie. Nice to meet you. I'm Hannibal Smith," he said to the young woman as he shook her hand.

Murdock and B.A. also shook hands with Zowie while they introduced themselves.

"And leaning against the van we have our famous, charming, loveable, handsome, …. Lieutenant Templeton Peck," Murdock said. He sounded as if he was introducing a contestant to a gameshow. "Unfortunately Mr. Peck ran into some fists earlier on and hasn't been feeling well since."

"Murdock cut it out will you," Face told his best friend.

Zowie remembered Maggie's words about Templeton Peck and did her utmost best not to start laughing.

"Let's get you into the examination room and get you checked out shall we?" She said trying to be professional.

B.A. and Hannibal helped Face inside and got him settled on the examination table.

"Okay," she said in a serious tone of voice. "I'll start by checking your vitals first. Care to tell me what happened to you?"

She swiftly took Face's blood pressure and checked his pulse. Face elaborated on the entire story including all details, before actually revealing what had happened to him.

"So basically you got beaten up by those punks," Zowie stated at the end of his long story.

Face blushed. "Uh .. Yeah .. I guess you could look at it that way," he said feeling slightly less self-confident.

"So, where did you get punched?" Zowie asked in complete doctor mode by now. She tried to see Face as just any patient in need of help.

"Face and stomach," Face replied still sounding unsure.

"Let's have a look," she said. "Can you take of your jacket and lift up your shirt, please? And lie down on your back?"

Face did as he was told and Zowie had the hardest time ever keeping her focus. He had a slender yet muscular frame and she liked what she saw. She did notice the purple bruises to his side and abdomen. She gently pushed down to check exactly how bad the injuries were. Face hissed in pain and exaggerated as usual as he loved the attention this young, beautiful doctor was giving him.

"I'm going to push down to check your ribs," Zowie explained. "You might have some bruised or cracked ribs. Tell me when it hurts, okay?"

Off course Face once again exaggerated. Zowie frowned. She couldn't detect any cracked or bruised ribs, so the pain shouldn't be that bad. She suddenly remembered Maggie's stories about Face trying to gain some attention. So she decided to play along.

"You are severely bruised and that explains the pain you're in," she said trying hard not to laugh. "I think I'll have to tape those ribs of yours and you'll need to rest for a while. Let's have a look at your head. Have you been unconscious?"

"No," Face admitted, "but I do have a splitting headache."

"Mmm. I guess some aspirin and lots of rest will do wonders," Zowie stated trying her best to stay professional. "I'll tape your ribs first and then we can get you settled down on the couch in the living room. Could you try to sit up?"

Face did as he was told and thoroughly enjoyed the attention he got from Zowie. After she was finished taping his ribs, she helped him up and supported him as they walked towards Maggie's couch.

"Found out what's wrong with him, doc?" Hannibal asked Zowie as he winked at her.

"Yes," she said trying to remain serious. "Mr. Peck is severely bruised and I taped his ribs just to be safe. He also complained about a killer headache, so I'll give him some aspirin and advised him to rest a lot."

"Well, I guess we'll be staying over for a few days," Hannibal said wrapping his arm around Maggie.

Face couldn't be happier. He was so looking forward to spending some time with the lovely Zowie. Meanwhile Zowie was getting Face's medication and a glass of water.

"Here you go, Mr. Peck," she said politely as she handed him the tablet and a glass of water.

"Templeton," he replied softly.

"I'm sorry? What?" Zowie asked all confused.

"You can call me Templeton," he answered her flashing his million dollar smile. "Or Face if you like. That's what my friends call me. Is that okay with you, Zowie?"

Zowie felt her cheeks heat up immediately and merely nodded her head.

"Lieutenant, stop flirting and start swallowing that tablet." Hannibal's voice sounded serious causing Zowie to blush even harder.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The team stayed over for a couple of days giving Face some time to get well again. They could all use some well-deserved down time anyway. Hannibal enjoyed being around Maggie. B.A. used his spare time to work on his van and fix up some stuff around Maggie's place. Murdock and his imaginary dog Billy were having the time of their life, but he also made sure his best friend was okay at all times. Face thoroughly enjoyed the attention Zowie was giving him, although she knew he wasn't that badly injured and merely exaggerated the pain he was in. Nevertheless she took care of him and enjoyed the time they got to spend with each other.

Unfortunately, the team could never stay for too long. So a few days later, they were all forced to say their goodbyes. Zowie found it awfully hard to say goodbye to Face as she had grown very fond of him and Face felt the same way about her. He had been flirting with her, but he never ever made a move on her – so very unlike Face. They had become very close friends in these last few days making it extra hard to leave each other behind. But they knew it was inevitable. Hannibal noticed how the two of them seemed to have a hard time letting go of one another, but he didn't say anything to anyone.

The whole team however noticed how quiet Face was being in the van on the drive back to L.A.

"You okay, muchacho?" Murdock asked his best friend sounding genuinely worried. "The ribs still givin' you a hard time?"

"I guess so," Face answered absentmindedly.

"Maybe you should get some more rest, kid," Hannibal stated.

"Yeah. You're probably right," he answered closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.

"He's got me worried, Colonel," Murdock said to Hannibal when he was sure Face was sound asleep. "Facey is never this quiet. Somethin' is buggin' him."

"Yeah, I think you're right, Captain," Hannibal answered him lighting up a cigar. "I think it has something to do with Maggie's new assistant Zowie. Those two really seemed to get along."

"But he never made a move on her," Murdock exclaimed. "That's so not like Face! He's always the ladies guy …"

"Maybe the fool's really in love this time," B.A. chimed in from behind the wheel.

"You know, Colonel. The big mudsucker might have a point there. Remember when we went to Equador to save Leslie? Facey didn't act like himself then either," Murdock explained.

"You guys think Face is in love, huh?" Hannibal asked his teammates. "Well, maybe you're right! Would be good for him! The kid deserves to be truly loved after all he's been through in his young life. And I kind of like Zowie. She is a strong, independent girl who can take care of herself just like Maggie. Let's just wait and see what happens, okay?"

The conversation was never mentioned to Face and he never talked to his team mates about his growing feelings for Zowie. He was utterly confused! He used to be the biggest flirt alive and dated heaps of girls, but after meeting Zowie none of that made sense to him anymore. He missed Zowie and longed to spend time with her getting to know her better. He never felt about a girl that way since Leslie. He couldn't get her out of his mind …

As they were in a line of business to often get injured, the team members of the A-Team required a physician to patch them up and relied on Maggie to do just that. So every time they went on a mission, Face hoped someone would get injured somehow. He would volunteer to drive up to Bad Rock if someone besides himself got slightly injured. And he would also drive up there in the 'vette himself, when he was coming down with something. It didn't take long before both Maggie and Zowie started to suspect something.

It was 6 in the morning on a Saturday morning when the bell rang at Maggie's. Zowie got up and made her way over to the door. She was on duty until 10 that very same morning. As she opened up the door, she noticed Face standing there.

"Hi," he said flashing his gorgeous smile at her.

"Hi. What are you doing here at this time in the morning?" She asked him sleepily.

"Seeing my doctor," he simply stated.

"What happened to you?" Zowie asked as she let him in and locked the door again behind his back.

As she turned towards him she noticed that he had a black eye.

"I think it's quite obvious," he said softly. "Ran into a couple of fists while working. All part of the job. It really hurts, you know. Can you do anything about that?"

"I don't know. Let's have a look," she said motioning towards the examination room.

She turned on the light and softly held his face to get a closer look.

"That must have been some punch," she said softly touching his swollen eye.

Face winced in pain.

"Let me get an icepack for the swelling," she said. "There's nothing more I can do, I'm afraid."

She came back with an icepack and applied it to his swollen eye and his cheekbone. They locked eyes for a moment and both seemed to get lost in the other's ocean blue eyes. Her fingers accidentally brushed against his cheek and he leaned into her touch.

"Better?" She asked him.

"A little," he said as he inched closer to her. "But this will be a lot better."

He gently pulled her in his strong arms and softly pressed his lips to hers in a loving, tender kiss. Zowie wrapped both her arms around his neck instantly dropping the icepack as she returned the favor. They only let go of one another when they needed air.

"You know, I have wanted to do that for a long time now," Face admitted softly running his hand through her hair. "I mean, I liked you right from the start but you were more to me than just a flirt. I'd really like to spend time with you and get to know you and I had a hard time saying goodbye. It's all so confusing, but I knew I had to see you again."

"I hated saying goodbye to you too," Zowie admitted. "So, that's why you have been driving up here so much when one of you got hurt."

"Yeah. I grabbed every opportunity I could to be around you," he admitted some more. "I somehow think I feel the same way about you as I felt about Leslie. I had a hard time saying goodbye to her too." He wrapped his strong arms around Zowie's waist and pulled her towards him for another sweet and tender kiss.

"Who is Leslie?" Zowie asked as they came up for air once again.

"Leslie was the first woman I ever loved," he started explaining as he sat down on the edge of the examination table. "I started dating her back in college and one day decided to give her my fraternity pin as a pre-engagement gift. But her best friend told me she couldn't see me anymore and that she had left college. For fifteen long years, I didn't know why she left me. I was told that she had run off with some other guy and I was left heart broken. It wasn't until a while ago when she hired the A-Team that I learned the real reason to why she had left me back then."

"What was that?" Zowie asked running a hand through his long blond hair.

"She became a nun," he explained. "I guess I was relieved in some way that she hadn't met someone else. I don't think I would have ever been able to love again if I had known that. A little while later I met you."

Zowie smiled at him. "I liked you straight away," she admitted. "I mean you are so incredibly handsome and charming and you're so well-dressed. Who can possibly resist you? Maggie told me you were the big flirt, yet you never really flirted with me."

"You meant more to me than just a flirt," he admitted gently caressing her cheek. "You were my doctor, my friend, … I didn't know what to feel! I was so confused, until it dawned on me that I had fallen in love with you."

He inched closer to her and kissed her tenderly once again. They locked eyes after their sweet kiss and smiled at one another.

"I just had to come over and tell you how I feel," he said softly. "Zowie, I think I love you."

"I love you too, Temp. I love you so very much," she said wrapping her arms around his neck.

" _Temp huh."_

"Don't you like that? I really think it sounds cute and it suits you. It's so much shorter than Templeton and I really don't want to call you Face all the time."

" _Don't worry. I like it. I like it a lot. It's just … Leslie used to call me that too, you know. And she …"_

"Don't worry. I have no intention to ever leave you. I really do love you, Temp. And I'm a doctor, I'm not cut out to be a nun."

He pulled her even closer in his arms.

"Are you free later today?" He asked her. "I really want to spend some time with you."

"I get off at 10," she answered him. "We can spend the rest of the day together if you like?"

"I would very much like that," he said smiling.

"Let me first take care of that eye of yours," she said.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It would be the first of many dates. Zowie and Face tried to hide their relationship for the rest of the team and Maggie. He swung by pretending to be sick or hurt during the day or they would meet somewhere in private and away from Bad Rock and L.A. to go on dates. They were sure nobody knew about them, but they were wrong. So very wrong! Maggie realized very quickly that Face was coming by as often as he could to see Zowie and the team also realized that. They also noticed that Face never once chased after the female clients that hired the A-Team anymore. But nobody mentioned anything.

The relationship had been going on for over three months now. Zowie was head over heels in love with Face and he felt pretty much the same about her. She had invited him over for a nice home cooked meal for once and really wanted him to spend the night at her place. Face drove his white Corvette over to her place and parked it somewhere safe and out of sight. Little did he know that the team was being followed and that someone was keeping an eye on their every move. Without a care in the world, he made his way up to Zowie's condo. He was surprised that she had invited him to her home for dinner. Zowie opened the door, let him in and they were in each other's arms straight away.

"I have to keep an eye on dinner," she said smiling when he started to press sweet butterfly kisses to her cheek and neck.

"Never mind dinner," he whispered in her ear. "I'm not that hungry anyway."

"Come on, Temp. I've been slaving over dinner these past couple of hours. Let's just sit down and enjoy the food. We have plenty of time for all the rest?"

" _Does this mean I can stay over?"_

"Yes. You can stay over if you like, Temp. But would you mind taking care of the wine for now?"

Face smiled brightly. The couple enjoyed a nice dinner and talked some more about their lives. Face told Zowie how he had been abandoned as a child by his mother and had never knew his father. He admitted that he grew up at the orphanage and learned to take care of himself at a very young age. He also told her how he had gone off to college and fell for Leslie only to be left once again. As he couldn't take the rejection anymore, he had signed up with the army and left for 'Nam. He told her how he had ended up on Hannibal's team and how lucky he was to have met his friends then and there. They were like a 'surrogate family' to him. Hannibal was the closest to a father figure he had ever had. Their relationship was built on utter respect and both knew they could count on one another. He considered B.A. and Murdock as his brothers, although his bond with Murdoch was somewhat closer. Face had even let Zowie in on some of the horrors they had been going through while being in a Vietcong prison camp. He also explained what had happened on that fatal day while robbing the Bank of Hanoi. Zowie didn't need to be convinced that they were innocent, but she was happy to have heard the real storyline. She hated how the military had set them up and convicted them of a crime they didn't do.

"I'm so glad you told me all this," she said softly while running her hand through his blond hair and locking eyes with him.

He merely smiled.

" _You deserve to know all this. It's a huge part of me! I'm a fugitive, Zowie. I love you. I really do love you, but I can't give you a normal life for now while being on the run. You have to know that. The last thing I want to do is to hurt you or for you to get hurt in any way."_

"I'm aware of that. And I love you too. Very, very much. I'm aware that we can't settle down together for now, but you can be my boyfriend. Right?"

" _That I can do."_

They shared another sweet and tender loving kiss.

"Does Hannibal allow you to spend the night?"

" _He doesn't have to know. We're not on any mission right now and I do have my own place. I just have to call in and tell him I'm alright. That's it. We have strict rules about that. We call in at 11 the last time and again at 7 in the morning so we all know we're safe."_

After calling Hannibal as ordered, Face devoted his attention back to his girlfriend. He thoroughly enjoyed spending time with her and was looking forward to spending the night with her. He was so in love with her, he almost forgot about the rest of the world. Otherwise, he would have heard someone breaking and entering into the house and sneaking up the stairs. It wasn't until they burst in through the bedroom door that he realized something was going on. Zowie screamed and Face tried to shield her from whoever burst through the door with his own body. He tried to remain as calm as he could, but realized that he was surrounded by 6 people wearing dark costumes and shades all pointing their guns at him. He had no idea who they were. His main interest was keeping Zowie safe. She was safely tucked behind his back and held onto his broad shoulders for support. He felt her trembling body against his.

" _What's this all about?"_

Right at that moment a small older man in a dark suit with greyish hear wearing glasses walked into the bedroom smiling.

"So, we finally meet Lieutenant Peck," he said.

" _Should I know you?"_

Face was confused. He couldn't remember ever seeing the man before.

"I know all about you, Lieutenant," the man spoke. "You are Templeton Arthur Peck, first Lieutenant of the US Army. You served under command of Colonel John Smith during the Vietnam War and together with Sergeant Bosco Barracus you were convicted of robbing the Bank of Hanoi. You managed to successfully escape from Fort Bragg and hit the L.A. underground. You have all been working as soldiers of fortune helping those in need for years as the so-called A-Team. All this is easy for you, as you are all highly trained special op soldiers."

" _Well, that's neat! Looks like you've done your homework on me, but would you mind telling me who the hell you are?"_

"You always did have a smart mouth, Lieutenant," the man went on. "But I guess you have a right to know who I am. My name is General Hunt Stockwell."

" _Oh, I see. You're assigned to our case now. Was the army getting tired of Decker screwing up all the time? And you think you can get away with arresting me here and now, do you?"_

"I was in the military, Lieutenant," Stockwell said. "But I'm officially retired and running my own secret operation for now. I have been keeping my eye on your team for a while and I think I might have a very interesting business proposition for you. But I somehow had to draw the attention of Colonel Smith."

" _So that's why you come in here and burst into my girlfriend's bedroom? To talk business with me? It's really not perfect timing right now."_

Stockwell looked at the frightened young girl hidden almost completely behind Face's back. The look in his eyes changed as he suddenly seemed to recognize the girl.

"What do you have to say for yourself, young lady? Hanging out with a fugitive?" He sneered.

" _Leave her out of this, Stockwell. This has nothing to do with you."_

"It has everything to do with me, Lieutenant. Zowie, could you care to explain to me why my daughter of all people is in bed with Templeton Peck?"

" _Your .. daughter?"_

"That's right, Lieutenant. Zowie is my daughter," he answered the stunned young man.

"Dad, leave him alone," Zowie started to say. "I have met Temp a while ago and we fell in love. He is my boyfriend."

"He is what?" The general almost yelled. This really couldn't be happening. His daughter was dating a convicted man and a fugitive.

"You heard me, dad," Zowie said. "I can date whoever I want and I happen to care a lot about Temp. I trust him."

She snuggled closer to Face. Face, however, didn't react. He was utterly confused. Finally he had met what he thought was the love of his life and she turned out to be the daughter of a retired US general.

"Well I'm taking lover boy here with me, so I can get my hands on the rest of his team," Stockwell spoke. "Get dressed, Lieutenant. You have 5 minutes to get ready."

Nobody made an attempt to leave the room.

" _Do you mind giving me at least 5 minutes of privacy"_

"I'm not leaving you out of my sight, Lieutenant. I know you," Stockwell said. "The clock is ticking."

" _Oh that's just great."_

"Don't worry, baby. I'm going with you," Zowie said.

Before Face could even answer her, Stockwell himself addressed his own daughter: "You, my dear, are not going anywhere and especially not with him."

"You can't stop me, dad," she said. "I'm not about to leave Temp."

To put emphasis to her words, she wrapped her arms tightly around Face's shoulders.

"Fine. Have it your way," the general answered. "Give them 5 minutes in private to get dressed."

The men and Stockwell stepped outside the bedroom and closed the door.

"Temp, I'm so sorry. I don't know what my father is up too. You've got to believe me," Zowie said as tears started to form in her eyes.

" _Why didn't you tell me all this? You're General Stockwell's daughter. Oh boy, am I in trouble now."_

"No, you're not. My father isn't in the military anymore. He is retired, remember? And I'm not about to let my father harm you in any way or the team for that matter. I really do love you, Temp. That's no lie. I should have told you about my dad, but I was afraid I might scare you away."

" _I believe you. I really do. Yes, You should have told me but I understand why you didn't do it. I love you Zowie, despite the fact that you're Hunt Stockwell's daughter. But you don't have to go through this for me. I'll be fine."_

"I want to make sure you are. You can't change my mind, Temp. I'm going with you whether my father agrees with that or not. I'm not leaving you."

Face smiled and pulled her in for a soft, tender kiss.

" _Well, I guess we better get dressed then."_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Five minutes later Face and Zowie both emerged from the bedroom fully dressed and holding hands. Hunt Stockwell glared daggers at the both of them.

" _Here I am. Right on time. And without any whatsoever attempt of running away. Impressive, right General?"_

"Cuff him," Stockwell said in an angry tone to one of the guys wearing dark suits and shades.

"No, dad. Don't," Zowie started to defend her boyfriend. "There is no need. Temp promised me he will come with you willingly as long as you promise to tell us what the hell is going on."

"Listen, young lady. You don't know who you're dealing with here. Lieutenant Peck is a wanted fugitive and a highly trained and skilled military man. I don't want you to hang out with him let alone start an affair with him," Stockwell said seeding with anger. "Weren't you supposed to be in Europe somewhere?"

"It's more than an affair, dad. Temp and I are in love," Zowie started defending her case. "And he is the sweetest, most tender and kind guy I have ever met. He is a true gentleman and he would never do anything to harm me. He gave me his word that he won't run out of you. You'll have to believe him. And you can't stop me from seeing him, dad. I refuse to break up with him, because you say so. I can take perfect good care of myself. I also don't need your permission to fall in love with someone. It just happened, alright."

Face just smiled as he heard his girlfriend defending him like she did. He was proud of her standing up to her dad as he knew it must be really hard for her. He softly squeezed her hand.

"Let's just go," Stockwell snapped as he turned on his heels and started walking back to the awaiting limo outside. "I'll explain everything in detail as soon as we arrive at headquarters."

Face and Zowie followed still holding hands and they were surrounded by the men in dark suits. They climbed into the car and drove in silence to the CIA headquarters. Zowie could tell by merely looking at her dad's face that he was furious with her. So she decided to remain silent during the ride to headquarters. Face appeared to be calm on the outside, but he was really nervous on the inside. How was he supposed to explain all this to Hannibal and the other guys? It didn't look like Stockwell was going to alert the military, but he had no idea what else was going on. Stockwell had mentioned that he kept an eye on the team. Did he mean just him or the rest of the guys as well? How could he not have spotted this? Oh boy!

As soon as they arrived at the building, everyone got out of the car and the dark suited guys guided Face and Zowie inside. Face was led into an office and Stockwell motioned for him to sit down. He tried numerous times to get his daughter to leave Face's side, but Zowie kept refusing that and was still accompanying him despite her father's protests and angry glares.

"As I said, Lieutenant. I think I have an interesting business proposition for you," Stockwell started to explain.

" _As it seems I'm not going anywhere, I'm listening. And since I won't be doing much of anything anymore, I can easily say I have all night to listen to whatever it is that's so important for you to disturb my romantic intermission with your daughter and pull us out of bed in the middle of the night."_

The look on Stockwell's face was priceless. He looked about ready to explode and Zowie had to do her utmost best not to start laughing. She did realize that her boyfriend's big mouth was something that often got him into trouble. Face had admitted that he was often punished for that very reason as a child and also during his time in the military. He had a hard time obeying any sort of rule, with the exception of the rules set by Hannibal.

Stockwell tried to control his emotions. He explained how a key player in the whole affair off their false accusations – one that was supposed to be death – actually was being held hostage on a plain in Barcelona by a group of terrorists. American officials couldn't intervene to get him out, but an expert military team on the run could. It would be like a solo mission! All they had to do was get Curtis out safely and have him testify before court that the bank robbery mission was indeed ordered by Colonel Morrisson. Stockwell would see to it that all of their names would be cleared and that they would be fully pardoned so they could all live normal lives.

"That must sound appealing to you, right Lieutenant?" He stated. "That way you wouldn't have to sneak around with my daughter of all people."

" _So let me get this straight. If we get Curtis off that plane and get him to testify, we'll get full presidential pardons?"_

"I guarantee that," Stockwell said.

" _That would be nice for a change. I especially like the part of not having to sneak around to be with Zowie. But I can't decide for the rest of the team. I'm only second-in-command. Hannibal outranks me and B.A. might just murder me if I agree without asking them for advice."_

"I know, but I somehow needed to get Smith's attention. Call them and tell them to meet us at your beach house at 10. We can talk business there," Stockwell said.

" _You have been following us around for quite a while now, haven't you?"_

"There is a lot I know about you, Lieutenant. You are the team's conman and you're very gifted at that. I know your lying and cheating all the time. Let's not discuss how you scammed that luxurious house and that sports car of yours, shall we?"

" _It's all part of the job, General. Also I can't help it that I like a classy lifestyle, right?"_

He so enjoyed making Stockwell jump out of his skin.

"Just pick up the phone and do as you're told," Stockwell threatened. "Unless you want to spend some years of your miserable life behind bars instead of in a luxurious beach house, Lieutenant."

Face called the house he scammed for Hannibal and B.A. He had been allowed some privacy. A groggy sounding Hannibal picked up the phone.

" _Hannibal, it's me."_

"Face? Do you realize you're calling me in the middle of the night? This better be good! You're not in trouble again, are you? Have you been stealing other guy's ladies again? If you would just stop hitting on every skirt in the world, it wouldn't come to this."

" _No, it's not that. A man named General Hunt Stockwell burst into the door and has brought me over to the CIA Headquarters. He has a business proposition for us and he wants for you guys to meet us tomorrow morning at 10 at my beach house."_

"How did he get to you?" Hannibal asked in a stern voice. "I thought you said everything was just fine when you called last night."

" _It was. It was kind of a surprise. He actually lifted me from my bed."_

"So you mean to tell me he broke into your beach house without you noticing?" Hannibal asked. "Kid, you're getting sloppy."

" _He didn't break into my beach house, Hannibal, it's even worse."_

"What do you mean worse?" Hannibal asked getting worried.

" _I was spending the night at Zowie's when he busted through the door."_

"Zowie? As in Maggie's assistant?" Hannibal asked. "What were you doing spending the night at her place anyway?"

" _Yes, well we're sort of seeing each other … You know … I mean … Come on. I'll fill you in on that later. But there is one other thing."_

"What's that?" Hannibal asked.

" _Zowie turned out to be Stockwell's daughter."_

"She's what? You're dating a US army General's daughter. Are you nuts? Do you want to be thrown in jail?" Hannibal was furious by now.

" _I didn't know. Okay? And he's not in the military anymore, so he won't sell us out to them either. He promised me that much, although he doesn't seem to be keen on me dating Zowie. He runs his own secret mission of some sort and wants to use our services. That's all."_

"Fine we'll be there and listen to his proposition, but I'd be damned if I liked this, Face," Hannibal said before he hung up the phone.

" _They'll be there."_

Face knew by his tone of voice that his commanding officer was nowhere near pleased with him. There would be hell to pay for him. Stockwell seemed rather satisfied and made sure everybody would be able to get some much needed rest for what was left of the night anyway. He once again tried to get Zowie to leave Face, but she refused this again. She wouldn't leave his side. So he showed the couple to a room where they could sleep some more and put guards outside the room in case the Lieutenant would make a run for it. Face had been awful quiet after the phone call with his CO. When they were finally alone in the bedroom, Zowie decided to talk to him about that.

"Are you alright, Temp? What's going on? What's wrong?" She asked him as she sat next to him on the bed and ran her fingers through his blond hair.

" _Nothing. Everything is just peachy."_

"Don't lie to me, Temp. I know you! Something is off. What is it? Please just tell me."

" _It's Hannibal. He so blames me for what has happened. I'm never going to hear the end of this."_

"You couldn't have known and I didn't know either. I would have told you if I had known. And I should have told you about my father. I'll tell him that too. Stop worrying for now and let's get some sleep."

They lay down next to one another. Zowie snuggled closer to him in his strong arms and he wrapped a protective arm around her.

"I love you, Temp," she said. "Nothing my father says or does will ever change how I feel about you. He can't keep me from being with you."

He smiled softly.

" _You really stood up for me back there. Thanks! It just makes me love you even more. I just don't think your dad approves of me as your boyfriend."_

"He doesn't have to date you. I do! And I like you and I certainly like your good looks. He can try whatever he wants, but I won't ever break up with you."

He pulled her in for a kiss and the both of them fell into a peaceful


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The next morning at 10, Hannibal and B.A. showed up on the doorstep of Face's beach house. Stockwell and his men were already there and so were Face and Zowie. Face was so not looking forward to the confrontation with is CO. And to be honest … he was afraid of getting punched by B.A. As they entered the house and spotted their team mate, the look on their faces said enough. He was in so much trouble! Face was actually glad Stockwell would do the talking. It would at least keep him safe from there boiling anger for now.

"Well, gentlemen," Stockwell greeted the Colonel and the Sergeant. "It's nice of you to join us. As I already told your Lieutenant here I think I have an interesting business proposition for you."

There was a lot of tension present in the living room of the luxurious beach house Face had scammed. Stockwell noticed this straight away.

"Let me start by telling you something, gentlemen," he stated as to ease some of the tension. "You cannot blame Lieutenant Peck for what has happened to him. I can tell you that he has always been careful as long as we were tailing him. In fact, we had the hardest time keeping a tail on him whatsoever. We decided to follow him to get to you, Colonel. I mean, we all know you have a soft spot for your second-in-command and you'd do everything to protect him. He was our best option. We have tried to set a trap with lovely ladies a couple of times in the past months, but he never seemed to fall for it. I guess I can see why now. As for Zowie, I didn't know they were seeing one another. Heck, I thought she was doing an internship overseas in Europe somewhere."

"Well, General. We have had the privilege of meeting your lovely daughter and get to know her," Hannibal said. "Zowie is a fine doctor and a very strong young lady. We are all very fond of her, but we also knew our Lieutenant had developed feelings for her. I must say that we weren't too happy with Face after our phone call last night. I'm glad you explained the situation to us, so we don't blame him for what happened."

"I must admit. You've trained him well, Colonel," Stockwell admitted. "He sure gave my men a hard time to keep up with him. He can blend in anywhere and we lost track of him quite often."

Hannibal smirked while fishing a cigar from the pocket of his sand colored jacket and lighting it. As the air around them was somewhat cleared, Stockwell decided to talk about his business proposition. Hannibal and B.A. listened intently and asked whether they could discuss the matter in private with the team for a little bit. Stockwell hesitatingly agreed.

"Should I stay with you?" Zowie asked still somewhat worried about her boyfriend's well-being.

"No. I'll be alright. I think," he said softly. "Thanks anyway. But you might wanna stick around when B.A. decides to punch me so you can patch me up again."

She ran a soft hand through his blond locks and softly kissed him.

"I'm not going anywhere," she whispered in his ear.

"Looks like the fool's really in love this time, Hannibal," B.A. said as he watched the two interact. "I ain't never seen him this serious before."

"I think you're right, B.A.," Hannibal said happily puffing his cigar. "Looks like our lady doctor as tamed him."

Face hesitatingly joined his team members to discuss the proposition. He was still somewhat unsure how they would react. He was pretty sure he would get a lecture from Hannibal stating how sloppy he had gotten and B.A. had had a murderous look in his eyes from the moment he stepped into the house. If only Murdock had been here with them! At least he would have his best friend to support him.

"Hey, kid. You're alright?" Hannibal asked concern written all over his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I guess," Face answered cautiously. "I still don't know how they could have been following me around without me noticing anything. It was a complete surprise to me when they came barging into the bedroom and all I could think about was keeping Zowie safe. I must be going sloppy …"

"I knew something was eating you," Hannibal answered him. "I'm glad to have it out in the open. Now listen, kid. We don't blame you for what happened. Apparently, Stockwell knew exactly what he was doing and he did find my weak spot. You know I consider us all to be family and I would give my life for any of you. All of you mean the world to me, but you somehow have a special place in my heart. You were only a kid when you enlisted in the army and your life had always been complicated, so especially you needed some guidance through life. I'm glad that I was the one to guide you through 'Nam and I'm still glad I can continue doing so until this very day. You might not need me that much as you did back then, but know that I'll always be here for you. You're like a son to me, Lieutenant. The son I never had."

"Yeah. And me and the crazy fool are your brothers," B.A. chimed in. "We'll always have your back, little brother. No need to worry about that."

Face smiled a smile of relief.

" _I'm grateful for that, guys. I really am. I can't express just how grateful I really am. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Zowie sooner. Maybe I should have, but I guess I was afraid you would make me end it somehow."_

"What makes you think I would do that?" Hannibal asked. "You're clearly very much in love this time and I give a great deal about your happiness. And you weren't breaking any rules either. She is not a client and she is not a part of the team."

" _No, but she is one of our doctors."_

"Face, I'm with Maggie. She is one of the team's doctors too," Hannibal said. "It's okay. Actually, we're all real glad that you seem to have found your one true love this time. But I would have loved to see the look on your face when you were told she was Stockwell's daughter. Must have been priceless."

Even B.A. was laughing this time.

" _You should have seen Stockwell's face too. He looked about ready to explode when he found out his little girl was hanging out with a fugitive."_

The whole team was laughing by now and Face was glad all tension between them had finally dissipated. They discussed the business deal and all agreed that this was just something they had to do to in order to finally clear their names. They would also contact Murdock to see whether he would want to participate or not. Murdock immediately agreed to help his unit out and they agreed that Face would spring him out of the V.A. later that day.

Hannibal told Stockwell that the team had agreed to accept the business proposition. Zowie ran straight back in her boyfriend's arms.

"Everything alright, Temp?" She asked him.

" _Couldn't be better. They don't blame me for what happened and they also support our relationship. It's great. Just great."_

Zowie just snuggled closer in his arms. She had just spent the last half hour trying to defend her relationship to her father. He was angry that she got herself involved with a wanted man like Templeton Peck and tried to warn her about his womanizing ways. It had been a heated discussion, but Zowie had no intention whatsoever to give up on her relationship. Stockwell was still not too happy with his possibly to be son-in-law, but he promised Zowie to try to get to know the real Templeton Peck.

" _Has your dad tried to talk you out of seeing me?"_

"He tried. He so tried, but he failed. I have done nothing but defend you for the last half hour and he has agreed to at least give you a chance. Be nice to him from now on, Temp, okay? I really want him to see the real lovable you. Do it for me," she asked her boyfriend.

" _I'll try. I promise."_

A few hours later, the team was on its way to Barcelona. Zowie had wanted to travel with them as she had always wanted to go to the beautiful city of Barcelona. She would pretend to travel separately from the guys and she would also lay low while the team was at work. Afterwards, she would be able to spend a few relaxing days in the city with her boyfriend. Stockwell wasn't too keen on letting her tag along and neither was Hannibal. He thought Zowie could be distracting his Lieutenant from his work and he was also worried that someone might find out she was connected to the team somehow. Zowie convinced both her father and Hannibal that she would not be spending time around the team until they were finished with the assignment. She would do some sight-seeing, visit a few museums and do some shopping.

Although they did travel separately, Face and Zowie were seated next to one another on the flight. They couldn't have been more thrilled. But in fact they had to act as if they were complete strangers which wasn't at all that easy. But they somehow managed. Upon arrival, the team grabbed a cap to their hotel. Zowie also grabbed a cap of her own, but did stay at the same hotel. What neither of them knew was that someone of Curtis' network had also been travelling on the same plane and also happened to stay at their hotel. Luis Zuniga was a key player in Curtis' gun smuggling business and had been notified that the A-Team would be intervening in the kidnapping. It was his job to make sure the team could get Curtis off the flight safely, but also keep him away from the team afterwards. Zuniga was hoping to find a weak spot in their defense to protect his boss.

He already knew all there was to know. The team had been hired by Stockwell and his secret organization to get to Curtis and that was exactly what he had to prevent. Zuniga kept his eyes and ears open at all times. He had stayed awake at night to keep an eye on the A-Team members. Somehow he was convinced that the young Lieutenant knew the gorgeous young lady sitting next to him on the plane. He spied on them for the rest of the flight and was pretty sure by observing their body language that the two of them were somehow attracted to one another. He got even more convinced when she checked into the same hotel as the rest of the team. He cautiously snapped the girls picture and contacted some people to check out who she was. He smirked when he was told that she was Hunt Stockwell's daughter. By now he was also pretty sure that the very same young lady was romantically involved with the team's young Lieutenant. That would come in so handy !


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The team would set out now to find out what was happening with the hijacked plane. They were teaming up to discuss the matter in Hannibal's and B.A.'s room. There was a loud knock on the door and B.A. opened it straight away to reveal Murdock.

"Hey crazy fool. Where's Face?" asked B.A. while closing the door behind the pilots back.

"He snuck out real quick to see his love. Isn't that the most romantic thing to do?" Murdock said while blinking his eyelids like a love struck girl.

"No. It's the stupidest thing to do," Hannibal replied angrily chewing on his cigar. "Dammit. And he knows that too."

"The fool never listens, Hannibal. He always gets himself in trouble," B.A. said.

Meanwhile Face had managed to get into Zowie's hotel room unseen. Or so he thought! Zowie let him in and they were in each other's arms within seconds.

" _Mmm. I sure missed being able to do this"_ he said as he moved closer to capture her lips with his.

"Me too," Zowie agreed as she melted into his embrace.

" _I can't stay very long. I have to get going. The others are meeting up at Hannibal's to discuss how we're going to pull this off and I so can't afford to have the Colonel angry at me. But I just had to see you before I go. I've missed you so much."_

"I missed you too and I'm glad you did. Please be careful, Temp. I don't want to lose you," she said softly caressing his cheek.

" _I will. I promise. I sure hope it will be over very soon, 'cause I'm looking forward to spend the night with you and enjoy some downtime as of tomorrow. So what are you up too?"_

"I think I'm going to visit one of the art museums they have here and later one I think I'll do some shopping," she said smiling. "Spain is after all famous for its great designers. And maybe I'll even find a cute little something to surprise you with tonight."

Face couldn't help but smile.

" _I like the sound of that. I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise."_

He kissed and hugged her once more and snuck out of her room again and made his way over to Hannibal's room. He softly knocked on the door and was surprised to be pulled inside by the collar of his neat dress shirt.

" _Hey! Do you know what it costs me to get it pressed to perfection? Do you?"_

He was met by an angry glaring B.A. and immediately decided to just drop it.

"What were you thinking, fool? You might have just blown her cover," B.A. spoke angrily.

" _Oh relax. Nobody even noticed I was there. I made sure of that."_

"Still, Lieutenant. That was a stupid thing to do." Hannibal replied firmly. "I do understand your urges, but you're at work now. I want absolute focus on the job. Got that, Lieutenant?"

" _Yes, sir."_

The briefing was short and they made their way to the airport where the plane was being held. They all assessed the case from all angles and reported back. A plan was being prepared. As the kidnappers had wanted to take off again and there was not enough fuel, the plane needed to be re-fueled. Also, the co-pilot had somehow put up a fight and ended up being knocked out. So the pilot had asked for another co-pilot to assist him during the flight. Murdock would be posing as the new co-pilot. The others would hide somewhere in the fueling truck and would try to get on board.

The little plan worked perfectly. Murdock for one didn't have any problem getting on board wearing his brand new pilot uniform. Now all he had to do was get the pilot to trust him. He grabbed his chance when the hijackers stepped out of the cockpit. He explained everything and earned the man's trust. He was able to open a hatch at the far end of the plane so his unit members could climb on board.

They had to lay low in order to save the innocent passengers. Hannibal, Face and B.A. would try to take out as many as the hijackers as possible and also try to get the passengers out of the plane unharmed asap. Hannibal being on the jazz thought the whole plan would go down real smooth. They snuck up on the hijackers in the back of the plane easily and knocked the wind out of them. Most of the passengers and crew were held back there. Face safely guided them to the exit and helped them get off the plane. Everything was going really well until he encountered a large hijacker seemingly coming out of nowhere who looked to be as indestructible as B.A. Although he did put up some kind of a fight, the lightweight Lieutenant was no match for the big, muscular goon. Hannibal and B.A. grew somewhat alarmed as they heard some of the passengers starting to scream. They made their way back to the far end of the plane as fast as they could only to see the big goon getting ready to throw the beaten to a pulp Lieutenant out of the plane.

"Hey, sucker. You stay away from my little brother," B.A.'s voice boomed. "You ain't throwing him out of no plane. You hear me."

The goon let go of Face and he fell down hard on the floor. B.A. and the goon started fighting each other, while Hannibal made his way over to his injured second-in-command.

"Hey, kid. How are you doing?" He asked.

Face was drifting in and out of consciousness due to his injuries. Hannibal slapped him in the face a couple of times to get him conscious again. The poor guy had been beaten up pretty badly.

"Face, try to focus for a few minutes okay?" Hannibal asked him. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

" _F-f-four … or is it s-s-six."_

"Just great, kid. You've got yourself one hell of a concussion. Now, let me check you over for other injuries," Hannibal said.

B.A. had managed to take the goon out.

"How is he doing, Hannibal?" He asked worriedly. He might seem like an angry-at-all-times kind of guy, but he deeply cared about his team members.

"He has a concussion. That I'm sure off," Hannibal said," and I'm checking out the rest. I think he did get beaten up pretty badly this time. Maybe we're lucky we brought Zowie along. I think he'll need some medical assistance."

He studied his Lieutenant's face and noticed the black eye and possible broken nose, but also a possibly broken cheekbone. Pain was written all over Face's handsome features. He unbuttoned his dress shirt to reveal his chest and abdomen covered in purple bruises.

"Oh man. This ain't looking too good," B.A. muttered.

Hannibal softly pressed down on Face's ribs. He cried out in pain and Hannibal was sure his ribs were either heavily bruised, cracked or broken. The pain was so intense that Face was once again drifting into unconsciousness.

"Hang in there a little while longer, kid," Hannibal said. "We'll get you some medical help as soon as we cleaned out this plane. Okay?"

Face was too far gone to even respond to that. B.A. and Hannibal quickly scanned through the rest of the plane. All of the passengers and crew members had been safely evacuated already. Now all they had to do was get to Curtis and get him out safe. Murdock had watched everyone safely leave the plane and was able to take out some of the hijackers right outside the cockpit.

"Thanks. Whoever you guys are," Josh Curtis said relief washing over him.

"Don't you remember us?" B.A. said. "We have a history together, man. 'Nam. Remember?"

"Sergeant Baracus?" He asked hesitatingly.

"That's right," Hannibal replied.

"Colonel Smith? I don't believe it. It's really you," Curtis said sounding surprised. He knew all along who they were.

"Colonel, I have a question," Murdock suddenly said as he joined Hannibal and B.A.. "Where is Facey?"

"Captain Murdock!" Curtis exclaimed. "I take it Lieutenant Peck is still with you?"

"That's right," Hannibal answered. "Face is down, Murdock. He has been beaten to a pulp. He's at the back of the plane. He is in need of some medical attention."

Murdock hurriedly made his way over to be with his best friend. Hannibal helped Curtis to his feet and helped him exit the plane. They would deliver him to Stockwell, but first they needed to get Face to Zowie so she could patch him up. As they fought in the same war, the guys fully trusted Curtis. So when they drove back to the hotel, they also brought their injured Lieutenant with them so his girlfriend could check him over.

Hannibal took Curtis up to his hotel room, while B.A. and Murdock supported Face's weight and brought him over to Zowie. She opened the door after the first knock.

"Oh God, Temp. What happened to him?" She asked frantically as she led them in.

"Little brother was no match against them big ugly suckers," B.A. explained. "He's been beaten up pretty bad, little momma. Hannibal thinks he's got some broken bones in his body and a concussion too."

"Put him on the bed," Zowie said. "Oh God, he looks like hell."

She sat beside him on the side of the bed and softly caressed his cheek. Face had his eyes closed and moaned in pain.

"Temp, baby. Can you open your eyes for me?" She asked gently running a hand through his blond hair.

Face tried his best, but his vision was unfocused.

" _Zowie?"_

It almost sounded like a distant whisper.

"Yes, Temp. I'm here. It's okay. You're gonna be just fine," she said trying to soothe him a bit. She knew he must be in a lot of pain.

She gently touched his swollen, black eye and his cheekbone and immediately noticed his cheekbone was broken.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" She asked him and she wasn't too pleased with the response she got back.

Afterwards, she unbuttoned his dress shirt and also noticed the black and blue bruises all over his chest and abdomen.

"Oh my God," she said. "Temp, baby. I have to press down on your chest and abdomen to see what's going on with your ribs. Okay? Now, I know it's gonna hurt. I'll try to be as soft as I can, but I need to check them out thoroughly. I can only give you a painkiller when I know exactly what's going on."

" _Yeah … okay."_

As soon as she started to press down, he shut his eyes tight and tried his best not to scream out loud. B.A. and Murdock both realized Face was in a hell of a lot of pain.

"Hey Facey," Murdock said while grabbing a hold of his best friend's hand. "You squeeze when the pain gets unbearable. Okay muchacho?"

All that was heard was Face's grunts of pain as his knuckles turned white from squeezing Murdock's hand. He was exhausted when Zowie finally was done checking him over.

"I'm sorry, baby. I never meant to hurt you," she said softly worry about his well-being evident in her voice. "He has 2 broken ribs and 3 severely bruised ones, but I don't think he has a punctured lung. He also has a serious concussion. I'm going to start an IV with a strong painkiller. I can't do too much about his ribs, but I'll tape them. What he needs right now is plenty of rest."

"Yeah. He ain't looking too good," B.A. agreed. "He should get some rest. Me and Hannibal got there just in time. That big sucker was plannin' on throwin' him out of the plane."

"Poor baby," Zowie said while running her hand through Face's blond hair.

Due to the exhaustion, he was out cold by now. Zowie would keep an eye on him. Murdock reported back to Hannibal about Face's condition and B.A. would be on watch outside of her hotel room. Hannibal quickly decided to check on his second-in-command and left Murdock to keep an eye on Curtis. He was playing the happy to be rescued victim and had promised Hannibal to go willingly with them to meet Stockwell.

Hannibal quickly knocked on the door and Zowie let him in.

"How is he doing?" He asked sounding like a concerned father. "I'm really worried about him this time. I don't think he ever got this badly injured before."

"He is seriously injured," Zowie stated. "Actually he would be better off in a hospital right now. He has a few seriously bruised ribs, but he also has two broken ones and I don't like that one bit. They might just puncture his lung. That's what worries me the most. Also he has a very serious concussion. He was exhausted and he's asleep right now. I gave him something for the pain."

Zowie noticed just how much Face meant to Hannibal. He did act like an upset dad and she tried her best to reassure him that Face would get better again. All he really needed now was plenty of rest and some medical care. As long as they were staying in Barcelona, she would do her best to take care of him. She really wished that her father would send out a plane to collect Curtis and the team, so they could get Face to the hospital just to be safe.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

As Hannibal returned to his room to keep an eye on Curtis, Zowie decided to check her boyfriend's condition once more. She was glad that Murdock and B.A. would be on watch that night taking turns. Zowie also realized she wouldn't be able to sleep much herself due to worrying over Face's condition. She grabbed a chair and decided to keep him company throughout the night. Somehow she managed to dose off.

She woke up from her slumber when Face was starting to get restless in his bed. Zowie stood up and softly put a wet washcloth on his forehead to soothe him. His eyes fluttered open and two unfocused blue eyes locked with hers.

"Hi," she said softly.

"Hi," he managed to croak out.

"Don't talk, Temp," she said while softly caressing his cheek. "Just nod or shake your head. Okay?"

He nodded obediently.

"Are you in pain?" She asked.

Again Face nodded his head ever so slightly.

"Okay. I'll administer another pain killer," Zowie said. "What hurts? Your head?"

He nodded.

"Your ribs?"

His face contorting in pain told her enough. His breathing was picking up as well and when he looked up at her she noticed that something else was bothering him.

"Do you feel sick?" She asked him.

Again he nodded. Zowie softly helped him sit up and grabbed a nearby trash can. As soon as the trash can was placed into his lap, Face started to throw up violently. His entire, fragile body convulsed heavily. Zowie tried her best to support his weight and to help him calm down. She knew the pain he went through was close to unbearable. All she could do was rub tender circles on his back and whisper soothing words in his ear and hope the painful retching would end very soon. She knew how weak Face was. After what seemed like an eternity, Face had finally stopped vomiting. His body slumped and Zowie tried her best to support his weight and help him lay back down in bed without hurting him.

She gently pushed his blond locks from his eyes and caressed his cheek. He looked up at her, but had a hard time focusing and remaining conscious.

"Rest for a little while now, Temp," she said tenderly. "I know you feel awful. I'd like to get you to a hospital as soon as possible to get you checked out properly."

"No," he croaked. "I'm fine."

"Don't try to con me, baby," she said smiling. "I'm a doctor and your girlfriend. I can see right through you. You're not fine at all! You need medical care and I can't offer the proper care for you right now. But until we get out of here, I want you to try and rest."

He smiled faintly and closed his eyes.

Zowie was glad when morning finally came. Face had been sleeping rather peacefully and she had been glad about that. She kept hoping that once Curtis had been delivered safely to her father, he would make sure they could get Face to a hospital. She watched him closely for any sort of change in his condition and gently ran her hand through his long blond hair.

"I love you, Temp. You know that? I really do love you," she whispered softly in his ear. "I don't know what I would do without you."

"How is he doing?" Murdock suddenly asked her as he came into the room.

Zowie hadn't heard him come in at all and almost jumped at hearing his voice.

"Oh I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," he said. "It's just. I've been worried all night about Facey and I was wondering how he's holding up."

"He's been hurt pretty badly, Murdock," she started to explain. "I've tried to ease the pain as best as I could, but I know he's still suffering. I would really like to get him admitted to the hospital. If only we could convince my dad."

"Hey, it will be okay. Trust me." Murdock said softly. "We all know you've done all you could to help Facey and we know you're worried about him too. As soon as we hand over Curtis, it will all be over."

Zowie tried to blink away the tears that were threatening to spill over her cheeks. Murdock softly wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"You really do love him, don't you?" He said.

Zowie nodded as one tear ran down her cheek.

"Facey loves you too. Very, very much," he said ever so softly. "He's a fighter and he's been through worse. He'll make it! I'm positive. You just have to hang in there a little longer. And by the way, we are all glad that the two of you have found one another. He truly deserves to be happy."

Despite her tears, Zowie managed to smile. Both of them were startled when all of a sudden they heard gun shots coming right outside the room. Murdock immediately jumped up.

"Zowie, hide in the closet. Hurry!" He said to her.

"What about Temp?" She asked him.

"Just let him rest. We'll make sure those goons can't get to you," Murdock answered as he already made his way out of the bedroom.

He joined B.A. and Hannibal who were already fighting back in the hallway. They were able to get rid of the attackers pretty fast, but couldn't prevent them from freeing Curtis.

"Now we know for sure they're after us," Hannibal said. "They'll do anything to keep the truth from coming out. We need to get out of here and lay low somewhere safe. How is Face doing?"

"Zowie has done all she can which isn't much," Murdock said. "She says he needs to get to a hospital."

"We can't risk that," Hannibal said. "We have to move him. Let's go get Zowie and get Face ready."

They quickly entered the room and went over to the bedroom. Face had woken up somewhere during the fight. Zowie had come out of hiding to try and keep him calm.

"Hannibal, what's going on?" She asked fear evident in her voice.

"We were under attack, but we've managed to fight them off," he explained to her. "But we have to get out of her and hide. They're after us for sure."

"What about Curtis?" She asked.

"They managed to free him," Hannibal stated. "We really need to get out of here now, Zowie."

"But how are we going to manage that with Temp's condition?" She asked worriedly. "He is too weak and to badly injured to walk by himself."

"Don't worry, little momma. I'll carry him," B.A. offered.

"We'll take the emergency exit to get to the van," Hannibal said.

"How are you holding up, kid?" He asked his second-in-command.

"Just fine," he mumbled trying to get up.

By doing so, pain shot through his entire body making him dizzy and fall backwards onto the bed.

"Easy now, kid. Easy," Hannibal said. "You're in no condition to walk by yourself."

"No, I'm fine. Just give me a minute," Face said desperately trying to keep the world from spinning.

"Sure you are, kid," Hannibal answered him rolling his eyes.

"No, Facey. You're not fine, muchacho," Murdock told his best friend. "You have to let us take care of you now."

"Yeah. Stop actin' tough, fool. Just admit it. You're real sick," B.A. said angrily. "Now slide over 'cause I'm gonna carry you out."

Face sighed in defeat, but did as he was told. B.A. easily picked up his lightweight frame and ran towards the emergency exit closely followed by the rest of the team and Zowie. It didn't take them long before they reached the van. B.A. laid Face down in the back of the van and quickly jumped behind the wheel. Hannibal sat beside him and left Murdock and Zowie to take care of his injured Lieutenant. B.A. drove as carefully as he could not to hurt Face even more. The poor guy was so exhausted, he passed out almost straight away.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** **So very sorry for the late update, but I have been extremely busy lately. Hardly had time to write at all. But I finally managed to upload a new chapter. Hope you'll like it! Reviews are very welcome and I would like to thank all of you who have already read or reviewed this story or those of you that follow this story. I really appreciate your support.**

 **Chapter 8**

"What are we gonna do now, Hannibal?" Zowie asked the Colonel.

"How's Face?" He asked her.

"He passed out," she answered him. "There is not much I can do for him. I can only give him something for the pain and try to keep him as comfortable as possible, but it's not much. We really should take him to the hospital to have him checked out."

"Sorry, Zowie, no can do," Hannibal answered her. "These guys obviously know who we are. They'll do anything to prevent us from revealing the truth. I'm pretty sure it was an inside job. We were to free Curtis and they would rescue him afterwards so he wouldn't have to meet up with your dad. We need to lay low for a while. But the question is where do we go? I'm not that familiar with Barcelona and we can't count on our conman and supply officer to get the job done either."

"Maybe my dad can help us out," Zowie said.

The team realized that this was indeed their best option and called Stockwell on his secured line. Hannibal explained what had happened and how they had managed to free Curtis. He also explained how Curtis got away in the end and that they were dealing with a severely injured team member. They were lucky as Stockwell did know a safe place where they could hang out and lay low so Face could at least get some rest. Meanwhile he would try to figure out how to get them back to the States safely and as quickly as possible.

The getaway was a small cottage near the water and a little village on the outskirts of Barcelona. The cottage looked old and worn down on the outside as if it had been abandoned for some time, but once inside Hannibal noticed that it had all the modern comfort they needed. Face was still unconscious. Murdock and B.A. lifted him from the van and brought him up to one of the upstairs bedrooms followed closely by Zowie. She wouldn't leave his side. B.A. and Murdock ran back outside to hide the van so nobody would know where they were hiding out. Hannibal stayed in Face's room with Zowie. He was worried sick about his second-in-command and hated when he got hurt. Zowie had noticed that Hannibal had a soft spot for her boyfriend and acted more like the father he never had.

"How is he doing?" He asked her.

"He's exhausted due to the immense pain of his ribs. That's why he's out." Zowie said trying her best to explain the unconsciousness without worrying Hannibal even more. "But, we'll have to wake him up a few times because of the concussion. We also have to keep him as calm as we can. Those broken ribs may puncture his lung and he may develop a chest infection. I don't know for sure until we can x-ray his chest."

She gently touched his forehead and almost immediately withdrew her hand.

"He's burning up, isn't he?" Hannibal asked. He looked at her with his piercing blue eyes.

"Yes," she half whispered.

"So now we are dealing with a chest infection," Hannibal said.

Zowie merely nodded her head.

"This is not good at all," she said. "I'm going to take his temperature and we'll have to keep monitoring it. Meanwhile, I'll set up an IV-line with fluids and a fever reducer but we'll need to cool him down some more."

"Got it," Hannibal said.

He handed her a thermometer from the first aid kit and she gently slid it underneath Face's tongue. His temperature read 102.2. Beads of sweat were forming on his pale features. Zowie showed the result to Hannibal.

"The IV alone won't be enough to cool him down," she said. "We need to get him undressed and cool him off with wet towels."

They both went to work stripping the young Lieutenant to his boxers immediately. Face shivered as the cold air made contact with his naked skin and goosebumps appeared all over his body.

"It's alright, son. Relax! You're burning up and we need to lower your body temperature," Hannibal said trying to keep his friend calm.

Zowie started to work on the IV. She begged Hannibal to keep Face calm as she went downstairs to get a bowel with cold water and some cloths from the kitchen. She silently prayed that this would indeed help to lower his temperature and she hoped his condition wouldn't get any worse than it already was.

She quickly ran back upstairs carrying the bowl and noticed that Face had regained consciousness. He was shivering badly and obviously had no clue where he was. Hannibal tried to calm him down.

"Face. It's alright, kid. You're safe now. You got hurt, remember?" Hannibal started to explain. "I just need you to keep calm and stay real still. Okay? Can you do that for me?"

"C-c-co-cold. S-s-so c-c-co-cold," Face stammered.

"I know, kid. You're burning up and so we needed to strip you so we can cool you off some more. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you? Face? Kid?" Hannibal asked.

"C-c-co-cold," Face stammered some more. The poor man was shivering even more.

Zowie put down the bowel and ran towards the bed.

"I know you're cold now, Temp, but we need to lower your body temperature. I know it's hard, but you need to stay as still as you can. Please try, baby," she said.

"Z-Z-Zo-Zowie?" He managed to utter. "P-p-pain. So m-m-much p-p-pain."

"We know you're in pain, Face," Hannibal said. "Hang in there, kid. The medication is starting to kick in. You'll feel better in a little while."

Zowie gently ran her hand through his blond hair. The pain was etched on his pale features and beads of sweat were running down his handsome face. Zowie hated the fact that there was nothing more she could do for him. She gently started to cool him down some more by using the wet cloths and apply them on his forehead, cheeks, neck and chest.

"N-n-no pl-pl-please," he begged.

"I'm so sorry, baby. I have too," she started to explain softly. "I don't have a choice."

" _N-n-no."_

He sounded so broken and vulnerable and nothing like his usual confident self.

"I hate to do this to you, Temp. Really!" Zowie said softly. "I love you so very much."

"She does you know, Facey," Murdock chimed in.

He and B.A. just walked into the bedroom to check on their friend's condition.

"And we're all here for you, pal. Just like we always are. We're a family now and we take care of one another. And right now you're the one that needs to be looked after and we'll see to it that you get well again," he said.

A soft smile appeared on Face's tired features as he heard his best friend and he relaxed immediately. Zowie continued her treatment for a little while longer. She was pretty sure that the medication had kicked in by now too. Face had his eyes closed and his breathing had evened out somewhat, so she was pretty sure that he had drifted off to sleep.

"Is he doing any better yet?" Murdock asked. He was sitting on Face's bed holding his best friend's hand.

"I believe so," Zowie said. "I'll take his temperature again just to be safe. But it's not over yet, I'm afraid. He probably has a chest infection and his temperature could go up again and rise even higher this time. I have no idea what we're dealing with here. If his temperature has gone down, we can cover him up with a light blanket for now and let him rest for a while."

She was glad that his temperature had indeed dropped to 100. He was still shivering and she softly covered his trembling frame with a thin blanket. She sat beside him on his bed and just looked at him. He was sleeping peacefully for now and despite his obvious bruises and pale skin he still looked as handsome as ever. Zowie absentmindedly caressed his cheek. They hadn't been together that long, but Zowie knew that she was falling head over heels in love with him. She could not and did not want to lose him like this. But right now she could only hope and pray that his condition wouldn't get any worse.

"Zowie?" Murdock's voice sounded soft and caring.

She turned around and looked at her boyfriend's best friend.

"We have been cooking a little something downstairs and I figured you would be hungry by now," he continued softly. "Now I know you don't want to leave Facey alone, so I'll stay with him and keep my eye on him while you relax and eat a little. Can't have you faintin' now, can we?"

Zowie smiled. Murdock was such a sweetheart and he genuinely cared about Face. He was like a younger brother to him. Zowie realized she was indeed hungry and knew that Face was in good hands.

"Okay, Murdock. Thanks," she said as she stood up and looked at her boyfriend one last time before leaving the room. "Call me if you need me."

"Will do," he said. "Oh … Zowie?"

She turned back around at his words.

"You know how Facey always is the big flirt chasin' after every skirt he sees? Well, I just need you to know this. Ever since he laid eyes on you, he hasn't flirted with anyone at all. I've never seen him this serious before and I've known him for over 15 years. So I'm pretty convinced he's serious about you. I know it's hard for him to open up as he had his heart broken by the one woman he ever loved, but I think you were able to fix it again. And we're all glad to welcome you to our family. I just wanted you to know that."

"Thanks, Murdock," Zowie said wiping the tears from her eyes. "This means so much to me."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

She made her way over to the kitchen to grab something to eat. Hannibal and B.A. were still seated at the table finishing their food.

"Hi, Zowie," Hannibal said as soon as he laid eyes on her. "How is Temp doing?"

"He's asleep for now," she started to explain as she sat down. "His fever hasn't gone up until now, thank God. Murdock has offered to stay with him for a while."

"Yes, well you need some time off to eat and rest too," Hannibal said. "He's in good hands. Don't worry! Murdock will take excellent care of him."

"Yeah, littl' mama," B.A. chimed in. "The fool may be crazy, but he does care 'bout his best friend. He won't let nobody hurt Face while he's with him. Neither will we. Right, Hannibal?"

"That's right, sergeant," Hannibal agreed. "We're one big family. All we have is one another. By the way, Face is very special to me."

B.A. nodded his head.

"I kind of noticed that," Zowie said.

"Well, he was just a kid when he came to our unit in 'Nam," Hannibal started to explain. "A bright and clever kid who could take care of himself but nevertheless a kid. He became the youngest member of our team, that's why I still call him kid to this very day. Although he never admitted this to anyone, we're pretty sure he forged his papers to get into the army. He must have been barely seventeen or so upon his arrival. The kid had guts and that's why he was send to the special forces training. But he was also a smooth talker, that's why he was also trained as an officer pretty quickly. Off course that big mouth of his often landed him into trouble with some of the other soldiers or officers too. He was a bit of a hot head back then!" Hannibal chuckled thinking back.

B.A. giggled as well. He also remembered some of the stunts Face had pulled while in 'Nam.

"Fool was lucky to end up on Hannibal's team," B.A. said. "Otherwise he would have been thrown in jail."

"Yeah, he sure was somethin' else," Hannibal said smiling. "I guess he had my attention from that moment on. I was looking for a good supply officer and I knew for a fact that he would make a superb second-in-command. When I explained to Morrison that I wanted Face on my team, he looked at me like I was going crazy. He already knew the kid would be hard to handle, but I insisted and I've never regretted my decision until now. Face was and still is a very valuable member of this team. He is driven, can come up with almost everything, is an expert in handling guns and can smooth talk his way out of every situation no matter how bad it looks."

"He ain't never listened to nobody in his life but to Hannibal," B.A. went on. "Fool never took orders from no one."

"You're right, B.A.," Hannibal said smiling proudly. "He looked an awful lot like me when I was about his age. I guess I somehow took him under my wing ever since the day he joined our unit and he respected me for that. I've always liked the kid. I really do! He means a lot to me and so do B.A. and Murdock, but I'll always have a special place in my heart for Face. That boy is like the son I've never had. I'd do whatever it takes to keep him safe!"

"Yeah, man. We know," B.A. said smiling. "That fool sure needs a father to keep an eye on him. And me and the crazy man will always be his big brothers lookin' out for him. He ain't no orphan anymore and he ain't alone. That's for sure! He's part of our family now."

"He knows that," Zowie answered them. "And he's really grateful for that too. He really is! And so am I."

She was grateful for their company and the food they offered her. It took her mind off worrying about Face for at least a little while. When she was finished, B.A. and Hannibal offered to go with her to check on Face's condition. They found Murdock still sitting on the bed holding his best friend's hand and softly singing to him to keep him calm. Face's eyes fluttered open and he blinked trying to get them to focus. Zowie was with him in an instant.

"Hey, Temp," she said tenderly while running a hand through his damp blond hair. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," he nearly whispered while plastering a fake smile on his pale features.

"Sure you are, kid," Hannibal said firmly. "Only, we don't believe a word you're saying."

"No, it's true," Face tried to explain while attempting to sit up in his bed. He let go of Murdock's hand and pushed himself up, until he was hit with a wave of excruciating pain that almost took his breathe away.

"Lie down, fool," B.A. grumbled. "You're no fit to sit up."

But Face wouldn't listen and stubbornly tried to sit up a second time. Waves of pain shot through his body and he bit his tongue to prevent from screaming out loud, but he wouldn't give up. He felt lightheaded and dizzy and his stomach was doing very strange flip flops at times. But he didn't want to give up.

"Lie down, Lieutenant. That's an order," said Hannibal.

Face didn't make a move, however, and Hannibal was getting seriously angry at him until he noticed the greenish color on his Lieutenant's pale features.

"Gonna …be … s-s-sick," Face managed to croak out.

Hannibal and Murdock were by his side in a second and Zowie handed him a trash can. The poor guy threw up the entire content of his stomach.

"Oh God," he managed to say in between heaving. "Hurts."

"I know, baby," Zowie said soothingly. "You're dizzy because of the concussion and that's why your stomach is all queasy. You shouldn't be up! You need to rest in order for you to get better."

She helped him to lie back down in bed. Face was shivering once again. Throwing up hadn't done him any good and he was even weaker now than before. With the remaining strength he still had he tried to focus on the people that were by his side. He smiled as he noticed that all of his team members were still present as well as Zowie.

"We're all here for you, buddy," Murdock said. "Don't you worry. We won't leave you behind. We just have to stay out of sight for a while and then we'll get you to the hospital."

"Thanks," he said. "But it's not that bad. Don't need the hospital."

"What're you talkin' about fool," B.A. replied. "That big sucker pounded on you and you sure ain't no punching bag. Them ribs of yours don't look good, man."

"We'll deal with those scumbags later," Hannibal replied. "Right now getting you on your feet is what matters, kid. So tell us the truth this time. How do you feel?"

"Like hell," Face admitted. "My head hurts and it even hurts to breathe at times. And I'm freezing." He shivered once again.

Zowie gentle touched his forehead and noticed that he had a slight fever and she covered up his trembling form with the blanket. She explained that she would give him another painkiller and that he should close his eyes and rest. He didn't need much convincing. He just closed his eyes and fell asleep as exhaustion overtook his system.

Everyone hoped that their presence would remain unnoticed for at least a couple of days in order for Face to regain some sort of strength. Meanwhile, they would stay in touch with Stockwell and he would try and find a way to get them out so they could take Face to the hospital.

The plan seemed to work. B.A., Murdock and Hannibal each took guard at regular intervals to keep them safe and Zowie would stay in the room with Face at all times. She somehow managed to keep his fever as low as possible and she was grateful for that. She also managed to make the pain somewhat bearable for him. Occasionally he would wake up and she made sure to get some much needed water and a bit of food into his system. He managed to keep the fluid down, but his stomach didn't always digest food that well and so he ended up throwing up several times. Zowie knew it hurt like hell and she tried to calm him down by massaging his shoulders or gently running a hand through his damp blond hair.

Two days had passed and the team hadn't been spotted. They were all glad, but the team kept their guard. Zowie was unhappy with her father, because she hadn't heard anything from him yet about getting them out of Barcelona safely. She was able to keep Face's temperature somewhat down, but nevertheless the situation could still change abruptly. He was also weakened due to the fact that he could hardly keep any food down. Hannibal had tried to comfort her and tell her that her father was probably looking into possible solutions, but Zowie wasn't satisfied. She knew her father didn't exactly like Face, because he always spoke his mind and didn't care that Stockwell was higher in rank than he had been in the army. She was starting to get sick and tired of waiting for his call and she started to think that he would let the team deal with the bad guys themselves instead of helping them.

She had just run downstairs to talk to Hannibal and get some fresh water while Face was sleeping peacefully. Still they hadn't heard a word from her father and Zowie was starting to get super mad by now. She hurried back upstairs to be with her boyfriend in case he woke up. As she was still walking up the stairs she heard him moan softly. She all but ran to his bedside and noticed how his pale features were sweat soaked. She immediately feared the worse.

"Temp, baby? Are you awake?" She asked him while gently caressing his cheek.

Pain filled blue eyes looked up at her.

"What's wrong?" She asked him.

"So … m-m-much … p-p-pain," he managed to say.

Zowie put a hand to his forehead and felt the heat radiating of his body. His temperature was definitely starting to rise again. She had run out of painkillers by now too.

"Oh, baby," she said soothingly. "I know. And I'm sorry. I can't give you any more painkillers. I haven't got any more of them."

"It's okay," he tried to say.

But Zowie knew he was far from alright. Without proper pain medication, his body would become even weaker and he wouldn't be able to fight the infection at all. They desperately needed to get him out of here and into the hospital.

"Don't worry, Temp," she tried. "We'll get you out of here. You just relax and take it easy. I promise I'll get you to the hospital asap. I love you. I love you so much."

"Love you too," he managed to say trying to smile despite the obvious pain he was in.

As she went off to change the water in the water bowl to help keep him cool, she grabbed her cell phone and called her dad on his secured line. However, that was exactly what the bad guys were hoping for. They were tracing Zowie's cell phone as they had found out who she was. It didn't take them long to find out where the team was hiding.

Zowie had been furious when she finally was able to speak to her father. She had told him what was going on with Face and how urgently he needed medical help at a hospital. Hearing his daughter yell at him had startled Stockwell and he promised her he would get them an airplane to get them out of Barcelona that same day. He made all the necessary arrangements while they were on the phone and he gave her all the details of where the plane was to land. He asked his daughter about Face's condition and told her she should make sure she could find some more pain medication to get him at least through the flight. Meanwhile, Face had fallen into a restless pain filled sleep and as soon as she hung up Zowie all but ran downstairs to meet up with Hannibal.

She explained what would happen and Hannibal and his team sat down and listened to what she told them. They all agreed that they needed to get some more pain medication and fever reducers for their friend so he would at least travel a bit more comfortable. Hannibal decided to drive back into Barcelona and Zowie urged him to take both B.A. and Murdock with him to get as much supplies as they could. By now the team was pretty sure their surroundings were safe and they agreed with Zowie and took off.

As soon as they saw the van leave the old cottage, the bad guys came into action.

" _Yeah. It's me. I've been watching the place. Those guys have all left in the van leaving the girl and the wounded member of the team behind."_

" _Excellent work in tapping her phone, Miller. Now let's get in and snatch the girl."_

" _What do we do with the injured guy?"_

" _Finish him off."_

" _You've got it, boss."_


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10**

Face desperately tried to sleep some more, but the pain he was in prevented him from getting his much needed rest. Hannibal had told him that they would drive back to Barcelona to get him some meds for his journey back home and Face actually felt relieved. They left shortly after the conversation and Zowie ran downstairs to get a fresh bottle of water. She had promised to be back straight away.

Zowie made her way to the kitchen to get the water bottle and some clean glasses. She was nervous, but also somewhat relieved that they would get going pretty soon. She would only stop worrying when her boyfriend would be admitted to the hospital. Suddenly someone grabbed her from behind and covered her mouth with his large hand. Zowie tensed straight away and knew the bad guys were on to them. She had to get Face's attention somehow. What those goons didn't know was that her father had trained her well and she wasn't about to give up without a fight. She trashed her arms wildly and kicked her feet and was even able to bite the guy holding onto her in the hand. He pulled his hand away startled by what she did and so she managed to scream as loud as she could.

"Temp!"

Face had closed his eyes again trying to get some rest as he heard her scream on top of her lungs. He sat up immediately wincing at the pain that shot through his entire body. It didn't take him long to realize Zowie was in danger and he had to do something although badly injured. He sat up at the edge of the bed desperately trying to get a grip on his breathing and he hoped the dizziness would just miraculously disappear. He got up as fast as he could pure adrenaline running through his veins. He was the only one in the house and therefore the only one that could save her. Maybe Stockwell would even start to like him. Face took a few slow breaths to calm his pounding heart and quietly snuck out of the bedroom. Since he was only in his boxers, he decided to stop at the bathroom and quickly slipped into a t-shirt and a pair of pants. Slipping into the clothes was already harder than he thought with his bruised and battered body, but Face wasn't the type to give up. He had a mission: save his lover and he was a green beret after all. He could manage to do what he needed to do even when injured. He tried very hard to block out the pain and focus on saving Zowie.

He managed to get out of the bathroom fully dressed and tried to get a view on what was going on downstairs. Two bad guys were trying to overpower Zowie and she was kicking and hitting them while screaming on top of her lungs. She really was a feisty one and could defend herself extremely well he noticed. The goons however were a lot stronger and although she kept struggling to get out of their hands, she was starting to lose her grip on the situation.

Face needed to sneak down unseen and into the living room to get to her. And he needed a gun. He really needed a gun badly. He wondered where his gun would be. He snuck back to the bedroom and searched in the small closet for his .357 magnum. He knew he had little time to lose and he couldn't afford for Zowie to get kidnapped. He finally caught a glimpse of his gun and grabbed it before hurrying back out of the room.

The bad guys were still fighting with Zowie and she gave them a hard time as it was. Face was glad that she hadn't given up fighting. She kept kicking and screaming and yelling and the guys focused on her trying their utmost best to overpower her. She finally caught sight of Face and he motioned for her to keep quiet. The goons were fighting in the hallway with their victim, so Face couldn't get downstairs without actually being seen. He somehow had to take the guys out without hurting his girlfriend. Face had been the A-team's sniper and he could handle every situation, but this one was slightly different. This was his girl's life on the line and he wasn't well at all. Sweat was pouring down his handsome face and he couldn't keep his body from shaking which proved to be hard if he wanted to aim at the bad guy holding Zowie. He couldn't risk shooting his girlfriend. His sight was blurry and his stomach was queasy once again. He desperately tried to focus as he aimed his gun. Zowie saw exactly how bad his hands were trembling and knew she had to do something to help him. She somehow managed to push one of the goons away from her and Face didn't hesitate and pulled the trigger. The goon fell down on the floor holding onto his injured leg. The other goon now knew where Face was and was running up the stairs towards him. He tried to get his focus back which was pretty hard. The whole world was swaying. That's why he didn't see the fists of the goon as they made contact with his already bruised and battered ribs. For a second it felt as if the air was knocked out of him. He tried to get a grip of the situation again. He grabbed the goon's collar and pushed him off of him. The guy lost his balance and was about to fall down the stairs but managed to get a hold of Face's shirt and pulled him down the stairs with him. The both of them tumbled down. Zowie screamed.

The other team members were on their way to Barcelona in the van. Murdock suddenly got an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach as if something very wrong was about to happen.

"Hannibal, are you sure it was safe to leave Facey and Zowie behind?" He asked his superior officer.

"Yeah sure Murdock. Why?" Hannibal asked sounding worried.

"I don't know exactly. I just get this weird vibe as if someone in the house is screaming for help," he said. "It's like I can almost hear it."

"Shut up, fool," B.A. grunted. "You're just crazy. Their ain't nobody screaming and their ain't no vibe in your head either. Just air."

"No, I swear. Something just seems wrong. I can almost feel it," Murdock stated frantically. "We have to go back and check it out. Please, Hannibal? I have a bad feeling about this."

"I ain't turning back, fool. We need to get Face's meds to get him home. The guy is sufferin' real bad. This ain't gonna do him no good. Stop your crazy jibber jabber already," he said still continuing to drive.

"I have a gut feeling about this," Murdock tried again. "Please, Hannibal. Facey is my buddy. I can't let him down. Can we please just go back and check it out."

Hannibal thought about it for a second. "Okay, B.A. Turn the van around. By now I'm starting to get a bad feeling about the whole thing myself. I mean, Zowie called her dad by using her cell. Suppose those scumbags discovered who she was and traced her phone to get to her and to us. They might just try to get to her when we're not there and they might also try to take Face out permanently too. We can't let that happen. Let's go!"

B.A. did as he was told and stepped on the gas to get them back quickly. Murdock made sure they all had their weapons so they could rush into the house as soon as the van stopped. They immediately heard Zowie scream.

"Alright, guys. We must assume were under attack," Hannibal said. "Let's go. "Murdock, you're with me. We'll go in through the front door. B.A. you take the back. Let's go."

Hannibal and Murdock busted through the front door and made their way to the hallway. They found Face and one of the goons on the floor still fighting. The goon was clearly winning the battle. He had his hands wrapped tightly around Face's neck and squeezed as hard as he could. The other goon held Zowie as she was struggling to get to her boyfriend. Murdock grabbed him by his shirt and hit him hard knocking him unconscious easily. When the captain was defending his best friend, he got real violent. He was very protective when it came to Templeton Peck. Meanwhile, Hannibal peeled the other scumbag from his Lieutenant. He had a hard time prying him off of him and the guy kept strangling Face too. B.A. had also made his way in the house through the back and he immediately stepped up to help Hannibal. B.A. was super strong and therefore had no problem pulling the guys hands from Face's neck. He pulled him up in one swift motion and knocked the wind out of him. Hannibal kneeled down beside his injured second-in-command as he was struggling for air. Murdock had held Zowie, but let go of her now so she could tend to her boyfriend.

"Take it easy now, kid," Hannibal said. "Easy. Focus on breathing. That's it!"

Face could merely make out shapes and forms, but he did recognize the voice of his superior officer and surrogate 'dad' whom he looked up to.

"Zo …wie," he tried to say.

"She's alright, Temp. Don't worry! She sure can take care of herself. She is one tough lady," Hannibal said. "You shouldn't talk now. Just focus on your breathing."

Meanwhile, Zowie came running towards him and also kneeled down beside him.

"Oh, Temp," she said. "I was so worried about you. You shouldn't have fought with the injuries you've got." She put her hand to his forehead and felt the heat radiating from his body.

"Don't you worry, Facey," Murdock said. "We'll get you out of here in no time, muchacho."

"Zowie, we didn't get Face's meds," Hannibal explained. "We returned because Murdock had a gut feeling something was going on and he was right. Great job by the way, Captain. But what now? We don't have time to get the meds if we have to get to the rendezvous point your father indicated."

"I'll call dad and let him know," Zowie said while gently running a hand through Face's damp hair. "He has a medical team standing by on the plane to take care of Face, so they'll have to get him the necessary meds before take-off."

As they had to get moving, B.A. and Murdock carried Face towards the van while Hannibal supervised and kept a close eye on his Lieutenant.

"Hang in there, kid," he said. "You're nearly there."

Zowie called her father and explained what had happened. Stockwell was relieved to hear she was okay and that Face actually had risked his life being badly injured by attacking the bad guys and protecting his daughter. He promised that the plane was standing bye with a medical crew on board to take care of Lieutenant Peck.

The team sped off towards the rendezvous point. Face was lying down in the back of the van with his head in Zowie's lap as she kept running a hand through his hair. Murdock sat on his knees next to him. Hannibal kept glancing at the back to make sure his second-in –command was still doing okay.

By now, Face was unconscious due to the pain he was in and he was burning up. His soft blond hair was matted down and beads of sweat were clearly visible on his pale skin. Zowie kept her eye on him at all times. No matter how sick he is right now, he still is smoking hot she thought to herself.

"We're here, Hannibal," B.A. said. "The plane seems to be ready for us. It's about time too. Face needs help real bad."

He parked the van and headed towards the sliding door. Hannibal had already opened the door. Two medics came running from the plane with a gurney.

"Over here," Hannibal yelled at them. "Hurry quickly. He's in the back."

"How is he?" One of the medics asked Zowie.

"He's not doing that well," she said. "He has a concussion, a broken cheekbone and a broken nose as far as I can tell. But when we were under attack at the house, he fought with the bad guys and got himself hurt even more. I'm pretty sure he already has 2 broken ribs. The other three were severely bruised before, but I'm afraid it will be worse now. He fell down the stairs and was punched in the abdomen a lot. Right now he is also burning up. I'm really worried about him."

"Well, let's get him onto the gurney and load him into the plane. We can examine him before we take off and get some meds into his system. We'll need to get him to the hospital asap to get him checked out properly," the medic said. "Your dad will be on stand-bye."

Murdock and B.A. helped the medics put their friend onto the gurney. Face didn't wake up at all. He looked pale and beads of sweat ran down his handsome face. They quickly ran towards the plane and Zowie stayed with them. Hannibal and his team unloaded the van quickly and also ran towards the plane.

One medic was already busy examining Face. He had unbuttoned his shirt to reveal the bruised and battered chest and abdomen of the young man. He pressed down on the man's injuries and Face – even unconscious as he was – reacted to the pain of the pressure on his chest and abdomen. He was breathing superficially. The medic also quickly took his temperature.

"What's the verdict?" Hannibal asked.

"He is a very sick young man," the medic stated. "Besides the obvious concussion and broken cheekbone and nose, he also has quite a lot of broken or cracked ribs. Some of these ribs have punctured his left long, causing him to have trouble breathing on his own. I also think he has developed a chest infection due to his injuries which causes his fever to spike. I'll start him on an IV with fluids and a fever reducer. He must be in an awful lot of pain, so we'll also start him on morfine. To help him breathe, we'll also insert a nasal cannula and give him some oxygen. He'll be out most of the flight and we'll keep a close eye on him. He is still young and in excellent condition I've read in his file, so he should make it through this. I'm positive about that. But we need to get him to the hospital to get him properly checked out just to be safe."

"You hear that, Facey," Murdock said. "You'll be okay again, muchacho. You just relax and let Zowie and the other docs take care of you for now. They'll patch you up real good. I'm sure."

Despite their protest, Zowie helped take care of Face. It didn't take long before they were ready to take off with the plane. Zowie sat next to Face and gently stroked his blond hair. Hannibal sat on the other side of his Lieutenant and gently held his hand like a father would.

"I'm here, son," he said softly. "I'm not going anywhere until you get all better again. You hear me, Face. You have to get through this."

"Don't worry, Hannibal," Zowie said as she heard him almost whisper to his surrogate son. "He'll make a full recovery, but it's going to take some time nevertheless. He doesn't feel any pain at the moment due to the morfine and his fever is going down already."


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

Face firmly shut his eyes some more to block out the noises. His head ached and he so badly wanted the noise to go away. But he couldn't get it to stop.

" _I think he's waking up."_

Face was pretty sure he heard Hannibal's voice. But that was impossible? He wasn't at the house. He had left with the team.

" _Don't know, Hannibal. He's hurt real bad. Sure takes time."_

Yeah. That was B.A. alright. Wasn't it?

" _Hey Facey Wacey. Wakey wakey … We're all here waiting for you. Me, the Colonel and the ugly mudsucker …"_

Murdock.

Even though his eyes were still closed, a small smile appeared on his pale features as he recognized his best friend's voice. He felt a soft hand gently caressing his cheek.

" _Hey, Temp. It's okay to open your eyes. You're safe now. You truly are my hero. You saved my live and got injured some more while doing so. You're at the hospital right now receiving treatment, but you'll be alright again. I love you, Temp."_

Zowie. She was there with him and she was okay. His eyes fluttered open. He wanted to talk, but no words came out of his mouth.

"Welcome back, Lieutenant," Hannibal said. "We're all glad you've finally woken up."

"Yeah, lill' brothe'. You've been out for two weeks. You had us real worried this time," B.A. explained.

Face frowned. His memory was all a blur. He remembered being in the cabin with Zowie when they were attacked, but he didn't recall anything else.

"Your injuries were pretty severe, sweetheart," Zowie explained. "You were out for most of the time when we flew you to the hospital and the staff decided to keep you sedated for a while so your body could recover. The chest infection is under control, but we still have you on oxygen just to be safe. You'll be out of action for a while with those broken ribs and your concussion."

"Head … hurts," he managed to utter. "Thirsty."

"You'll have serious headaches for a while due to the concussion," Zowie explained. "I'll give you something to deal with the pain."

She poured some water into a cup while Hannibal and Murdock helped him sit up in bed a little.

"Here, take small sips," said Zowie. "That's it!"

Face eagerly drank the cold water. He looked around at all of the relieved face's from his friends.

"We've been here with you every day, kid," Hannibal spoke.

"Couldn't wait for you to open those beautiful blue eyes of yours," Murdock said. "I've missed you so much, buddy. I'm so glad you're up again. I've been listening to the mudsucker whine every day."

"Shut up, fool," B.A. answered him. "I ain't never been whining. We were all just hopin' and prayin' Face would pull through."

"Thanks," Face managed to say. He blushed with all the attention he got and looked down only to notice he was still dressed in nothing but an ugly hospital gown.

"Oh no," he complained. "Not this! I hate this! Couldn't you have brought me one of my silk pajamas and matching robes?"

Zowie merely rolled her eyes at his comment.

"Yes, he sure is gettin' better," Hannibal said smiling as everyone else – except Face who was pouting – was laughing out loud.

THE END


End file.
